A loud explosion rocked Lahore, Pakistan, early Thursday morning, intensifying tensions just a day after India executed Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory strike on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The cause of the blast remains unclear, but local broadcaster Geo TV and Reuters witnesses confirmed the tremor was widely felt across the city.

Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 Indian civilians, targeted terrorist infrastructure with what India described as “precise and restrained” strikes. New Delhi stressed no civilian or economic targets were hit.

In retaliation rhetoric, Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif condemned India's actions as a “cowardly attack” and vowed an appropriate response. Pakistan swiftly closed its airspace, and financial markets reflected the growing uncertainty.

With both nations on high alert and rising cross-border tensions, the mysterious Lahore explosion has added a fresh layer of volatility to an already precarious standoff.